Singer Rome Ramirez returns home for East Bay show
After sheltering in place for the five months, Rome Ramirez says he missed bonding with his bandmates more than ever. So the Sublime With Rome frontman and Fremont native was thrilled to take the stage with his group at a recent “Concerts In Your Car” event at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. “They are like my family,” says Ramirez. “We saw so much of each other, so it felt really strange when all of a sudden it was cut off. But at the same time, it definitely makes an event like the drive-in experience, where you’re able to get back together again with your unit—your brothers—and jam that much more beautiful and fun.” The singer-guitarist is excited to keep the momentum going and appear with his Sublime spin-off band for two nights at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton on Friday and Saturday. Since a successful live music show is predicated on a strong connection between the artist and audience, Ramirez admits to being initially worried that his SoCal ska-punk group couldn’t achieve the same level of interplay with fans at a drive-in concert as at a standard show. “There’s something about that certain synergy that can happen when you’re live, in the same element and room with the musicians who create the music,” he says.
